Some Winter Listens to Cozy Up with This Weekend

From the first scene, I found myself drawn into Greenidge’s version of Brooklyn right before and after the Civil War. Libertie is the daughter of a single mom who is the doctor for their small town. Libertie’s mom pushes for her daughter to be the best, encouraging her to work hard at learning her trade. Eventually, Libertie goes to college to learn how to follow in her mother’s footsteps, but she’s not sure she actually wants to be a doctor.

For me, the mother/daughter relationship in this book shines off the page. You can see their deep love for one another, the push and pull that comes from the growing pains of an adolescent girl coming into her own. The world Greenidge builds around them acts as a vibrant backdrop to their story.

I didn’t know where this novel was headed, but the characters and the world the author created kept me listening. Channie Waites performs the story with this incredible ear for dialogue. Each character came alive in different ways that drew me even farther into the story. After I finished Libertie I had to look up more of Waites work—she’s just that brilliant of a narrator!

Narrated by Channie Waites

Kendra James was the first African American legacy student at The Taft School. In Admissions, James looks back at her time at this elite prep school, examining the respectability politics, diversity recruitment, and the microaggressions she experienced as a Black student. 

Narrated by Mela Lee (Seven Days in June by Tia Williams and The Wish by Nicholas Sparks)

After his daughter dies, a scientist travels to the arctic circle to continue her work studying a girl frozen in the ice who carries a virus that may threaten the rest of the world.

Narrated by Julia Whelan, Brian Nishii, Keisuke Hoashi, MacLeod Andrews, Jeanne Sakata, Greg Watanabe, Kurt Kanazawa, Matthew Bridges, Kotaro Watanabe, Brianna Ishibashi, Joe Knezevich, Micky Shiloah, Stephanie Komure, and Jason Culp

In one of the buzziest thrillers of the season, Anthem throws us into a world where Simon is staying at the Float Anxiety Abatement Center in a suburb of Chicago. But soon he breaks out with an odd cast of characters to find a man known as the Wizard.

Narrated by Shiromi Arserio and Noah Hawley (The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri and Taken by Katerina Martinez)

Chemistry author Weike Wang is back with her sophomore novel Joan Is Okay. Joan is the daughter of Chinese immigrants and works as a doctor in New York City. After a family tragedy, her mom tries to reconnect with her children, but Joan isn’t quite sure she’s ready for that yet.

Narrated by Catherine Ho

Bernadine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other, launched her into literary stardom. Now back with her first book since her Man Booker-winning novel, Evaristo shares her life’s story in Manifesto. Narrated by the author, this is sure to be an audiobook you won’t want to miss.

Narrated by Bernardine Evaristo

Dahlia Woodson starts off a cooking competition with a complete disaster. But when her competitor, London Parker, takes notice, sparks begin to fly between them. Will being competitors ruin their chance at a happily ever after?

Narrated by Lindsey Dorcus (The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder and A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee)